Method of and apparatus for introducing wire into a surface treating chamber



April 22, 1969 RUM ET AL 3,439,851

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR INTRODUCING WIRE INTO Sheet of s A SURFACE TREATING CHAMBER Filed April 25, 1967 Apnl 22, 1969 K. RUM ET 3,439,851

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR INTRODUCING WIRE INTO A SURFACE TREATING CHAMBER Filed April 25, 19s? Sheet 2 of s lnve furs Aprll 22, 1969 K. RUM ET AL 3,439,851

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR INTRODUCING WIRE INTO A SURFACE TREATING CHAMBER I Filed April 25, 1967 Sheet 5 of 3 In venlors United States Patent 3,439,851 METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR INTRO- DUCING WIRE INTO A SURFACE TREAT- ING CHAMBER Klaus Rum, Krefeld, and Dieter Lingen, St. Tonis, Germany, assignors to Deutsche Edelstahlwerke Aktiengesellschaft, Krefeld, Germany Filed Apr. 25, 1967, Ser. No. 633,477 Int. Cl. B65h 17/18 U.S. Cl. 2261 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A coil of wire is more efficiently surface treated, e.g. surface blasted, if the turns of coil are separated without undergoing plastic deformation and introduced onto a rotating shaft, each separated turn of wire being inserted in a gap between adjacent discs on the said treating shaft, the wire being pulled along by the rotating motion of the discs operating on the spiral turns engaged therewith.

This invention relates to a method of introducing wire into a surface treating chamber, for instance a descaling chamber, and particularly relates to apparatus for introducing wire into a treating chamber in a manner whereby the treatment is more effective.

A method of surface treating wire involves unreeling the coiled wire and conveying the stretched wire through a blasting chamber in which the surface of the wire is exposed to the effect of the blasting agent. This method has the disadvantage, however, of the wire being subjected to plastic deformation during stretching and rewinding, and depending upon the composition of the wire, may also result in the Wire surface being work hardened or otherwise being damaged. Further, a treating process involving wire stretching is not possible on a wire of high yield strength. Moreover wire having a large cross-section requires a costly straightening process. Similar objections apply to methods in which the wire is stretched out after having been run off a reel and then transformed by special feed means into a helical coil in which consecutive turns are axially spaced.

Another method of surface-treating wire is one in which the wire coils are hung on a revolving shaft and conveyed through the treating apparatus, for instance through chambers in which the coils are blasted with for instance sand or shot.

It has also been proposed to hang the wire coils on a threaded shaft, the shaft being rotated for the purpose of expanding the coil, which then enters the blasting chamber and is subsequently withdrawn therefrom. Another proposal involving the use of a threaded shaft is one in which the shaft is rotated and the coils expanded whilst they are being axially conveyed through a blasting chamber.

However, previous methods using rotating threaded shafts fail to separate the turns of the coil to a sufficient degree to allow the wire to be evenly treated all around and along the whole of its length. Moreover, such arrangements are unsuitable for heavy gauge wire because of difiiculty experienced in expanding the turns.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a method of the type in which the wire coils are hung from a revolving shaft and are conveyed through a blasting chamber, but which avoids the shortcomings of previously-used arrangements, in that the individual turns of the wire coil are sufficiently and equidistantly separated to ensure that the treatment in the blasting chamber is equivalent to the treatment of a straightened wire. For

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achieving his purpose the wire must be taken off the coil in a particular way, according to the invention.

The invention consists of a method of introducing wire into a treating chamber, comprising successively separating turns of a coil of the wire without plastically deforming the wire, and feeding successive separated turns of the wire onto a revolving shaft passing through the treating chamber, and which carries centrically mounted and axially spaced annular discs, whereby one separated turn of the wire lies in the gap between two adjacent discs, whereby the wire continually passes into the treating chamber on the said revolving shaft.

The arrangement according to the invention effectively prevents the wire from being plastically deformed,'the wire being withdrawn from the coil in the position in which the coils have been laid, and the individual turns are then carried into the blasting chamber in which they are exposed to the action of a blasting agent, such as sand or steel shot. The blasting agent can impinge on all sides of the wire to remove the scale since the individual turns are spaced apart on the shaft. Furthermore, the turns of wire leaving the blasting chamber in this expanded condition may be conveniently subjected to further treatments, for instance in pickling, rinsing and phosphating baths, and in drying chambers.

The method proposed by the present invention may be performed in conjunction with a blasting chamber which contains centrifugal wheels for propelling the blasting agent. However, the invention is not directed to such a blasting chamber as such, but to the method and means for conveying the wire into the treating chamber and to receive the wire after its treatment.

For continuously feeding the wire without plastic deformation to the treating chamber, there may be provided at the receiving end of the shaft on which the wire turns are hung and on which they are subjected to treatment in the treating chamber, two feed arms adapted to be rotated about a vertical column. The arms can thus each be rotated into axial alignment with the treating shaft. When thus aligned one feed arm is coupled with the shaft and participates in its rotation. On the other feed arm, which is not coupled to the shaft, the beginnings and ends of two or more wire coils are joined, preferably by welding the ends together. As soon as the coils on the first arm have been conveyed to the treating chamber the arms are horizontally rotated until the arm carrying the joined coils is in axial alignment with the treating shaft, whereupon the beginning of the fresh group of coils is joined to the end of the preceding treated coil, likewise by welding.

At the other end of the installation a second column is provided, carrying two rotatable arms which can be raised and lowered. When one of these arms is in an inclined position in relation to the treating shaft it is coupled with the shaft to participate in its rotation and the treated turns of wire consecutively ride onto the sloping axially rotating receiving arm. As soon as the arm is fully loaded the wire is cut from the following coils at the same time as one or more fresh coils are connected by Welding to the end of the treated coil.

The arrangement permits the wire to be continuously withdrawn turn for turn from the coil without being subjected to plastic deformation and the turns to be fed consecutively onto a revolving shaft upon which the turns of wire hang axially spaced according to the invention whilst being submitted to the surface treatment.

One embodiment of apparatus according to the invention is hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, of which FIGURE 1 is a longitudinal view of the entire installation, including the surface treating chamber,

FIGURE 2 is a section taken on the line A-B in FIG- URE I, one larger scale, and

FIGURE 3 is a larger scale representation, partly in section, of the coupling arrangement between the feed arm and the treating shaft of FIGURE 1.

Referring to the drawings, a blasting chamber 2 is shown, although any other wire-treating chamber may be substituted therefor. In conventional manner the blasting chamber contains rotating members which project the blasting agent centrifugally against the turns of the wire coil passing therethrough. In order to ensure that the blasting agent can strike every point of the wire around its entire circumference, it is essential that the individual turns should be relatively clearly spaced and that the wire should travel through the chambers in the form of an expanded helix. For this purpose a rotatable shaft 3 is provided which carries centrically mounted thereon axially spaced annular discs 4. One turn of the wire is received between each two neighbouring discs 4 in a manner hereinafter described.

For the purpose of feeding the wire onto the rotating shaft there is provided on the feed side of the chamber 2 a column 5 which carries two feed arms 6 and 6. These arms can be rotated about the column 5 in a horizontal plane. In position 6 they serve for feeding a coil of wire onto the shaft 3. In order to facilitate hanging the coils on the said arms, each arm is formed with a trough 7 extending lengthwise of the arm. The depth of this trough corresponds to the diameter of the mandrel of a loading divice. Preferably the imbalance about its axis of each arm due to the presence of the trough may be compensated by'counterweights located at the supported end of the arm.

In the position 6' the arm axially aligns with the treating shaft 3 and is coupled thereto for rotation therewith whereby the peripheral speed of the rotating arm is the same as that of the peripheral speed of the treating shaft 3.

The nature of the coupling will be understood from FIGURE 3. It comprises a pin 8 which is shiftable by a compressed air cylinder 9. The compressed air is supplied through the shaft of a finned cylinder 11 which is interposed between the treating shaft 3 proper and the arm 6' with which it is coupled. The finned cylinder 11 is drven through bevel wheels and its rotation is transmitted to the treating shaft 3 by a chain drive which is omitted in FIGURE 3 for the sake of greater clarity, but which is a convention step-up drive whereby the peripheral speed of the rotating relatively smaller diameter treating shaft 3 is the same as that of the relatively larger diameter finned cylinder 11, and hence is the same as that of the arm 6'.

As will be understood from FIGURE 1 a wire coil 1 which has not yet been axially expanded and which actually comprises two or more individual wire coils whose beginnings and ends have been welded together, has been loaded on arm 6' with its leading end resting against a separating blade 12. The object of this separating blade is to retain the coil 1 Whilst allowing separated turns 13 to be drawn one by one towards the treating chamber as the arm 6 rotates with the finned cylinder 11. The separating blade 12 is mounted on a shaft 14 in an axially adjustable position, provision being made to ensure that the adjusted blade connot move towards the treating chamber but can yield in the opposite direction, thereby enabling the blade to yield to the strain generated between consecutive turns. In the immediate neighbourhood of the end of the arm 6' is a plate 15 which engages between consecutive wire turns 13 and guides them. It has been found best to provide such a plate on both sides of the arm, the two blades being relatively staggered in the direction of feed of the wire so that the turns can easily run through the gap between the two plates.

When the process is first started the leading end of the wire that is to be treated is placed by hand into the first of the gaps 16 between consecutive discs 4 of 4 v the treating shaft 3 as well as into the further gaps between the fins of the finned cylinder 11. Each gap 16 between two fins or discs 4 must contain only one turn of wire.

In the region of the finned cylinder 11 press-0n rollers 17 are provided which are urged by springs 18 into the gaps between neighbouring fins 4' and thus hold the wire down in the gaps, thereby preventing the fire from springing out of the gaps. The press-on rollers 17 may be provided with drive means.

In the region of the blasting chamber 2 adjacent its entry, a shaft 19 extending through the treating chamber serves the same purpose. This shaft runs parallel with the treating shaft 3 and covers the gaps between the discs 4 on the treating shaft in the upward direction. The shaft functions in conjunction with the said press-on rollers 17. Similar press-on rollers are provided at 20 and 21. However, the characteristics of the wire that is to be treated may permit the press-on rollers to be dispensed with and the shaft 19 extended into the region where the press-on rollers are shown in the drawings. The shaft 19 will not generally be driven but it will be so mounted that the shaft can idle when in contact with the running wire, although it may be desirable to drive the shaft 19 inside the blasting chamber. When the wire reaches the far end of the treating shaft 3, the separated turns consecutively ride onto the receiving arm 22. In a manner analogous to the arms on the feed end of the installation two arms 22 and 22' are also provided at the delivery end, these two arms are substantially horizontally rotatable about a column '23, a cam 24 being provided for-tilting the free end of the receiving arm 22 upwards in such manner that it can be coupled by an inclined cylinder 25 to the shaft 3 for common rotation therewith.

In principle the cylinder 25 is of the same construction as the finned cylinder 11 (FIGURE 3), except that fins 4 are not fitted. Instead the cylinder has a smooth peripheral surface. The treated wire pushes its way helically onto the receiving arm 22 which likewise rotates about its axis. At the same time as the arm 6 carrying the prepared wire coils is rotated into alignment with the installation the wire at the delivery end is cut to permit the arm 22 to be swung away and the empty arm 22 to be swung into receiving position instead. During these reversals of the arms at the feed and delivery ends the shaft 3 and associated parts are stopped.

According to the behaviour of the wire, particularly with respect to the separation of its several turns, it may be advisable to provide a pair of driving rollers 26 in the region of the separating blade 12 for the purpose of positively drawing the wire out of its coil 1. The drive means of the pair of rollers 26 is not shown in the drawings.

It may also be advisable, at a point preceding the separating blade 12 to provide means which temporarily act on the wire coil. These means may have the form of a lever 27 which pivots on the shaft 14 and which engages the underside of the coil like a shovel, permitting the coil to be loosened up jolting it from underneath. Some alternative means for imparting lateral jolts to the coil might likewise be provided.

The path length from the blasting chamber 2 to the delivery unit may be of varying length. Additional treating devices for the wire may be located along its length, such as pickling, rinsing and phosphating vats as well as possibly one or more drying chambers. The wire screws its way through these treating units in the same manner as it works its way through the blasting chamber 2.

We claim:

1. A method of introducing wire into a treating chamber, comprising separating turns of a coil of the wire without plastically deforming the wire, feeding successive separated turns of the wire onto a revolving shaft through the said treating chamber, and suspending the successive turns from said shaft, which shaft carries centrically mounted and axially spaced annular discs, so that not more than one separated turn of the wire lies in the gap between two adjacent discs, whereby the wire continually passes into the treating chamber suspended from the said revolving shaft.

2. Apparatus for surface-treating wire comprising a treating zone, a rotatable treating shaft passing through the said treating Zone and having a plurality of centrically disposed annular discs thereon, an axially rotatable feeding arm adapted to be moved into axial alignment with the said treating shaft for introducing separated turns of a coil of wire suspended thereon, and separating means for separating the turns of a coil of wire mounted on the said feeding arm as the wire progresses onto the said treating shaft.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, in which the said treating shaft lies substantially horizontally, and two or more axially rotatable feeding arms are provided which are mounted on a common shaft rotatable on a substantially vertical axis, whereby each feeding arm. may be axially aligned in turn with the said treating shaft.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, in which the said separating means comprise a coil-retaining blade which is displaceable along a path parallel to the feeding'arm in the aligned position and which is biassed for movement towards the base end of the feed arm, and at least one plate disposed between the coil-retaining blade and the tip of the feeding arm adapted to engage between separated turns of wire as they are introduced onto the treating shaft.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, in which the said rotatable feed arm has an axial groove therein.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2,in which driving means are provided for rotating a coil of wire mounted on the said feeding arm.

7. Apparatus as claimed in claim. 2, in which wireretaining means are provided to retain in the said gaps between adjacent discs on the treating shaft, separated turns of wire in the said gaps.

8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, in which wire displacing means are provided which are adapted to displace a coil of wire mounted on the said feeding arm temporarily in an upward direction while the separated turns of wire are being introduced onto the said treating shaft.

9. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2 in which one or more receiving arms are provided for receiving turns of treated wire as the said wire leaves the treating shaft.

10. Apparatus as claimed in claim 9, in which two or more receiving arms are hingeably mounted on a common shaft rotatable on a substantially vertical axis, the said arms being adapted to be successively placed with the tips thereof at the end of the said treating shaft and in a downwardly sloping position from the end of the said treating shaft.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 6/1954 Kenmore 204-28 10/1963 Gloor 226-200 X 

